Handyperson Service. Handyperson Service Application Form. Address: Post code: Telephone: Home: Work: Mobile: Work requested:

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1 Handyperson Service Application Form Date: Name: Address: Post code: Telephone: Home: Work: Mobile: Work requested: Reminder: The Handyperson service is not intended for emergency work Do you need the council to provide materials? Yes / No (please delete as applicable) Are you currently in receipt of Housing Benefit? Yes / No Area you in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)? Yes / No (Please only indicate yes if the DLA is for you or the joint tenancy holder) Are you 60 years old or over? Yes / No Please return to: Handyperson Service, Wiltshire Council, 26 Endless Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 1DR. Telephone: HousingRepairs@wiltshire.gov.uk Printed on paper containing 80% post consumer waste. Information about Wiltshire Council services can be made available in other formats (such as large print or audio) and languages on request. Please contact the council on , by textphone on (01225) or by on customercare@wiltshire.gov.uk. We try to ensure that the information contained in this publication is accurate at the time of going to press and while every effort has been made to ensure accuracy Wiltshire Council cannot guarantee it and does not accept any liability for any error or omission. CS17300 Handyperson Service

2 Welcome to the Handyperson service. Our aim is to provide friendly, trustworthy work at a reasonable price. The service is available to all tenants of the Council. For tenants who receive Housing Benefit the scheme provides 4 hours a year of labour free of charge (although all materials used are charged at cost). Additional work, or work for other tenants, is charged at a subsidised rate of 10 per hour. If a charge is to be made we will provide you with a quotation before proceeding with the work. Priority is given to tenants over 60 or receiving Disabled Living Allowance. Gardening, and most of the general work, will be carried out by a member of the Council s own staff. The decorating work is carried out by an external contractor called Mitie. For specialist electrical work the Council will employ only qualified electricians from the contractor Wessex Electrical. These are both contractors whom the Council has worked with for a number of years. All workers involved in the Handyperson service will be checked by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) for your safety and security. Although some of the decorating and gardening may be done outside of normal working hours at the Council s discretion, the general work is available only during working hours. Please note that the Handyperson service is not intended for emergency work. Types of work the Handyperson Service can help with General work wall tiling to kitchen or bathroom (additional to any wall tiling provided and maintained by the Council) fitting coving hanging curtains fitting curtain rails putting up shelves putting up pictures fitting a letter basket fitting floor tiles or lino clearing a loft fencing and gate repairs fitting a bracket for hanging basket

3 Security Fitting a keysafe, spyhole, door chain or mortice lock. Mobility aids Fitting an extra stair handrail or a grab rail. Plumbing Plumbing in or disconnecting a washing machine (please note that our staff cannot transport machines). Decorating Painting; stripping wall-paper; wallpapering. The prices indicated for decorating include for all materials to be provided by our contractor. Please note wherever possible we request that tenants move their own furniture to the middle of the room before work starts, however we can assist elderly or disabled people providing any ornaments are moved first and the contents of drawers emptied. Even at the discounted rate offered, decorating can be quite expensive, so please consider this before requesting a quote or ordering the work. Electrical Changing a light-bulb or resetting a fuse (this service will only be offered to elderly people, or people receiving disability living allowance, and will be subject to the Council s discretion and convenient location of an operative); changing a fuse to an appliance; changing a plug; fitting a doorbell.

4 Gardening General clearance of an overgrown garden; cut grass; weeding; general maintenance e.g. edging or sweeping leaves; clearing path; power washing path or steps; cutting hedges, pruning trees, some minor tree surgery. (Please note that we cannot assist with planting flowers or vegetables). Where there are grass cuttings, weeds, or prunings, these will be removed on completion of the job, but only those items generated during the job will be removed. If you have a dog, it is your responsibility to ensure that it is kept under control while the Handyperson staff are on site, and we reserve the right not to do work if a garden is badly fouled. Please note that for gardening work two staff may work together for safety reasons when using machinery when this is necessary the time allocated for the work work will be adjusted accordingly. Materials Where materials are provided by the Council these will be charged for at cost, and will be from a standard, good value range. With items like tiles, shelving, or lightbulbs we would prefer it if tenants provided the materials themselves to avoid any disagreement whether the materials are suitable. Permission Please note that for some jobs you may ask the Handyperson to carry out, you may need the Council s permission (eg. significant alterations or fitting catflaps). If in any doubt please ask your Neighbourhood Manager for advice. To order work Pricing For tenants receiving Housing Benefit, the first four hours of labour will be free of charge. Where work is to be charged, we will tell you before starting the work how much it will cost. Wherever possible we will keep to this price, even if the work takes a bit more or less time than allowed for. However in rare cases where the work turns out to be considerably more extensive than anticipated we reserve the right to apply an additional charge before continuing. In order to assist us with pricing the work, it is helpful if for jobs requiring measurements, eg. shelving, or room sizes for decorating, accurate measurements can be provided with your request for the work. If you would like to order work by the Handyperson Service, please phone If there is a very high demand for the service we may need to put you on a waiting-list, in which case we will take details and contact you again when we are able to proceed. Please note that if there is a charge for the service, this must be paid before any work starts.

5 Payment To avoid the risk of having to chase debts, the Council must be paid for any charged work before it is done. When you request the work we will give you a Handyperson payment card reference number. If you have a credit or debit card, the Council can process payment if you call Alternatively we will post you the Handyperson payment card - cheques payable to the Council can be sent to Handyperson Service, 26 Endless Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 1DR, or you can pay at any Post Office or selected Payzone locations. Once we have confirmed that payment has been made we will proceed with the work when staff are available. Guarantee of work Where reasonable, when work is carried out, it is guaranteed for 12 months. Complaints We genuinely hope that the Handyperson Service will offer a helpful, trustworthy and efficient service to tenants. However if you have any complaint, please write to: Business Improvement Manager, Housing Services, Wiltshire Council, 26 Endless Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 1DR Please note that no money is paid direct to the staff doing the work. Appointments In most cases we will make an appointment with you for when the work will be done. It is important to avoid wasting staff time through missed appointments, so we do request that you keep the appointment, and we reserve the right, depending on the circumstances, to deduct 30 minutes from the free time allocation for tenants receiving Housing Benefit for each missed appointment, or if you are paying for the service, to charge a further 5 before proceeding with making a new appointment. If an appointment is missed by one of the staff providing the Handyperson service you are entitled to claim 10.

6 Price Guide Item Time allocation Labour Price Materials price if to be supplied by the Council Total Change a light bulb 15 minutes Change a fluorescent tube Wall-tiling (white tiles only) 15 minutes hour per m 2 10 per m per m per m 2 Floor tiling 1 hour per m 2 10 per m per m per m 2 Hanging curtains 30 minutes 5-5 Fitting curtains 30 minutes 5-5 Fitting curtain rail 1 hour Putting up shelves 15mm melamine or MDF Putting up shelves 9mm plywood 1 hour per m of shelving 1 hour per m of shelving 10 per m 4.14 per m per m 10 per m 5.22 per m per m Put up picture 15 minutes Fit letter basket 30 minutes Fit key safe 30 minutes Fit spyhole 30 minutes Fit door chain 30 minutes Decorating Room Size Emulsion Strip and rehang Lounge/dining N.E. 10m 2 N.E.12m 2 EXC.12m 2 Kitchen N.E.4m 2 N.E.8m 2 EXC.8m 2 Bathroom N.E.2m 2 N.E.4m 2 EXC.4m 2 Hall N.E.2m 2 N.E.3m 2 EXC.3m Strip, hang woodchip & emulsion Strip and emulsion Hall/stairs/landing All Equal Bedroom N.E.8m 2 N.E.10m 2 EXC.10m Notes: If you receive Housing Benefit, under the Handyperson service you are entitled to 4 hours free labour a year, so you can deduct the number of hours of your remaining free allowance x 10 from the above figures. N.E = not exceeding EXC = exceeding This information can be made available in other formats on request. Fit mortice lock 2 hours Fit stair handrail 1 hour per m length 10 per m 8.75 per m per m Fit grab rail 1 hour Change a fuse to appliance Change an electrical plug 30 minutes minutes 5-5 If you want to use the Handyperson service, simply fill in the form on the back of this booklet and send it to the address provided. Fit doorbell 1 hour (battery type) Plumb in washing machine 2 hours Repair fence or gate Estimate to be provided 10 per hour At cost 10 per hour plus materials Fit bracket for hanging basket 30 minutes